Holidays and
Alzheimer's Families – Part II
The holidays are a time when family and friends often come
together. But for families living with Alzheimer's and other dementias, the
holidays can be challenging. Take a deep breath. With some planning and
adjusted expectations, your celebrations can still be happy, memorable
occasions.
·
Involve
the person with dementia
·
Adapt
gift giving
·
When the
person lives in a care facility
Involve the person with
dementia
Build on past
traditions and memories.
Focus on activities that are meaningful to the person with
dementia. Your family member may find comfort in singing old holiday songs or
looking through old photo albums.
Involve the person in
holiday preparation.
As the person's abilities allow, invite him or her to help
you prepare food, wrap packages, help decorate or set the table. This could be
as simple as having the person measure an ingredient or hand decorations to you
as you put them up. (Be careful with decoration choices. Blinking lights may
confuse or scare a person with dementia, and decorations that look like food
could be mistaken as edible.)
Maintain a normal
routine.
Sticking to the person's normal routine will help keep the
holidays from becoming disruptive or confusing. Plan time for breaks and rest.
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Adapt gift giving
Reduce post-holiday
stress.
Arrange for respite
care so you can enjoy a movie or lunch with a friend.
Encourage safe and
useful gifts for the person with dementia.
Diminishing capacity may make some gifts unusable or even
dangerous to a person with dementia. If someone asks for gift ideas, suggest
items the person with dementia needs or can easily enjoy. Ideas include: an
identification bracelet (available through MedicAlert® + Alzheimer's
Association Safe Return®), comfortable clothing, audiotapes of favorite music,
videos and photo albums.
Put respite care on
your wish list.
If friends or family ask what you want for a gift, suggest a
gift certificate or something that will help you take care of yourself as you
care for your loved one. This could be a cleaning or household chore service,
an offer to provide respite care, or something that provides you with a bit of
rest and relaxation.
When the person lives
in a care facility
A holiday is still a holiday whether it is celebrated at
home or at a care facility. Here are some ways to celebrate together:
Consider joining your
loved one in any facility-planned holiday activities
Bring a favorite
holiday food to share
Sing holiday songs
and ask if other residents can join in
Read a favorite
holiday story or poem out loud
Copied from:
http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-holidays.asp?s_oo=zGnEm5Dnou4aWIrvOQSsOQ
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